Do These 3 Things to Focus Better, Remember More, and Protect Your Brain Health

Whether you’re a child learning to read or an adult feeling like you’re losing your edge, protecting the health of your brain is critical. We all wish we could focus better and remember more, but how do we do that? Here are some important places to start:

#1: Build Cognitive Skills First

The first question to ask yourself is this: does your brain even have the capacity to focus, remember, and learn? Weak cognitive skills impact everyone of all ages, and these are things that can make life harder and more frustrating.

Strong cognitive skills are essential for all areas of life, whether it’s school, work, relationships, driving, social connections, and more. These skills are the things like attention, memory, processing speed, logic, and auditory or visual processing that determine what happens to information when you take it in and need to apply it.

If you want to feel sharper in school or in your workplace, building cognitive skills is an essential first step! 

Kids who complete brain training programs experience a 3 year gain (on average) across the board in each of these skills, and adults average a +14 IQ point gain.* That means less frustration, greater confidence, and stronger thinking skills—at any age!

Check out our wide range of brain training program options here.

#2: Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is one of those things that can make or break your memory and concentration. If you want to focus better, chances are you will need to sleep better.

When you’re sleeping, your brain processes the information you’ve taken in. It’s your brain’s “filing time” where new memories are stored, and if this process is interrupted, you are more likely to struggle with recall. 

But there’s another facet here, too: when you are sleep deprived, it is MUCH harder for your brain to focus and maintain attention throughout the day. This means the new information isn’t even making it into your brain to be stored as memory because you are distracted, unfocused, or unmotivated.

You may think, “I don’t sleep great but I wouldn’t say I’m sleep deprived.”

According to the CDC, 1 in 3 Americans are getting insufficient sleep regularly, and this is impacting them in the workplace, in school, and in other areas of life. 

Establishing boundaries around your sleep is important. Some things to consider are:

• To prioritize winding down at night
• Creating an environment where your body can rest
• And removing distractions (like your phone) in the evening hours can help this become more manageable.

#3: Have Healthy Social Connections

Research consistently shows that healthy social connections can help you focus better, remember more, and have better cognition as you get older. 

Quality here is more important than quantity. It’s not just being out and about around people that brings you the benefits. It’s the deeper interpersonal relationships where you feel connected, heard, and valued that helps your brain stay sharper for longer.

Even helping your younger kids establish this is important! Kids who feel connected and “safe” are more likely to thrive in school and learning beyond the classroom.

Spend time with family. Go out for dinner with your friend. Encourage close friendships between cousins or your kids’ buddies. These connections are SO important for all of us!

Click here for 6 more SIMPLE habits that can improve your brain function. (Hint: a dance party might be involved 😉) >>

*These are results of past clients. You or your child may or may not experience the same outcomes.